Journeyman sheet metal workers under SMART Local 29 in Wichita, KS earn $35.41/hr in base wages, or $35.41/hr as a total package with fringe benefits, effective Oct 2022. This sheet is more than 2 years old, so confirm the current rate with the hall before quoting it.
SMART Local 29 runs its own dispatch and out-of-work list — call the hall to confirm hours, books and what to bring. Gulfstream is a private recruiter and does not control hall referral.
The Local 29 pay scale is $35.41 per hour for journeymen in Wichita, KS, or about $70,820 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $35.41 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
| Local 29 journeyman hourly wage | $35.41 / hour |
|---|---|
| Total package (wage + fringe benefits) | $35.41 / hour |
| Annualized at 2,080 hours (base wage) | $70,820 / year |
| First-period apprentice (≈45–50% of scale) | $15.93–$17.71 / hour |
| Wage sheet effective | 10/21/22 |
A Local 29 apprentice in Wichita, KS starts at roughly $15.93 an hour — about 45% of the $35.41 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $26.56 an hour by the fourth year and full scale on turning out. These are the standard percentage steps of scale, not a wage sheet Local 29 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
| 1st period (year 1) | 45% of scale | $15.93 / hour | $31,869 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd period (year 2) | 55% of scale | $19.48 / hour | $38,951 |
| 3rd period (year 3) | 65% of scale | $23.02 / hour | $46,033 |
| 4th period (year 4) | 75% of scale | $26.56 / hour | $53,115 |
| 5th period (year 5) | 85% of scale | $30.10 / hour | $60,197 |
| Journeyman (turned out) | 100% of scale | $35.41 / hour | $70,820 |
SMART Local 29 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall — call (316) 941-4311 to confirm dispatch hours, required documents (union card, certifications, ID) and current list standing before traveling in. Contact details are imported from the UA, SMART and IBEW public directories. Gulfstream is a private recruiting firm, is not affiliated with the local, and does not control hall dispatch.
SMART Local 29 represents the skilled sheet metal workforce across Wichita and the broader central Kansas region. As a charter of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, this local manages the labor supply for essential mechanical infrastructure, architectural metalwork, and industrial ventilation systems. The Wichita market is historically significant for sheet metal trades due to the high density of aerospace manufacturing and specialized industrial facilities. Local 29 members are responsible for the fabrication and installation of complex ductwork, roofing systems, and precision components that sustain the region's commercial and industrial sectors, ensuring that large-scale builds meet rigorous safety and efficiency standards.
The significance of Local 29 extends beyond standard commercial HVAC applications into heavy industrial process piping and precision metal fabrication. In a market characterized by specialized manufacturing and a growing healthcare infrastructure, the availability of a certified, unionized workforce provides signatory contractors with a scalable labor pool. Since 2014, Gulfstream Strategic Placements has monitored the Wichita territory as a hub for sheet metal professionals who bridge the gap between architectural aesthetics and mechanical performance. For contractors and tradespeople, understanding the local's bargaining power and training infrastructure is critical for benchmarking labor costs and career progression within the Kansas construction economy.
Based on data effective October 21, 2022, the journeyman hourly rate for SMART Local 29 is $35.41. When analyzing the total package, users should note that the supplied figure of $35.41 represents the taxable wage; comprehensive fringe benefits including health insurance and pension contributions are typically added atop this base rate in standard SMART collective bargaining agreements. Apprentices entering the program start at a percentage of the journeyman rate, usually beginning around 40-50% and increasing in 5% or 10% increments every six months or 1,000 hours worked. Progression is contingent upon the completion of both on-the-job training hours and mandatory classroom instruction at the JATC. To obtain the most current breakdown of the total employer cost including all fringe supplements, contact the Local 29 business office directly.
SMART Local 29 maintains a wide geographical jurisdiction centered in Wichita and spanning multiple counties across central and western Kansas. The territory covers the installation and maintenance of all sheet metal components, including air handling systems, commercial kitchen equipment, and architectural siding. Members are dispatched to job sites ranging from urban commercial developments to rural industrial plants. The jurisdiction includes the right to perform work on all gauges of metal used in HVAC and industrial blow-pipe systems. Contractors operating within these boundaries must adhere to the specific travel and subsistence rules outlined in the Local 29 agreement, which govern how labor is mobilized for projects located outside the immediate Wichita metropolitan area.
The signatory contractor landscape for Local 29 consists of a mix between large-scale mechanical primes and specialized architectural metal shops. These employers range from regional HVAC leaders who handle massive commercial air distribution contracts to industrial specialists focusing on dust collection and exhaust systems for the area's manufacturing plants. Hiring fluctuates based on the cycle of major capital projects in the healthcare and aerospace sectors. Signatory contractors benefit from a referral system that ensures workers have completed standardized OSHA training and craft-specific certifications. This structured labor environment allows for predictable project budgeting and high-quality fabrication standards across the Wichita territory.
Members have access to training for AWS Welding certifications, TAB (Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing), Fire Life Safety, and BIM (Building Information Modeling). These certifications are critical for working on high-spec aerospace and healthcare projects in Wichita, allowing members to qualify for specialized foreman or detailer roles within signatory firms.
Most work under the Local 29 agreement focuses on commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors. However, some signatory contractors perform high-end residential HVAC and architectural work. Prospective members should ask the JATC if there is a specific residential sub-classification available, as these often have different wage scales and training requirements than building trades.
Local 29 utilizes an out-of-work list to manage member referrals. When a signatory contractor requires additional manpower, they request workers from the hall. Members are typically dispatched based on their position on the list and their specific skill sets, such as welding certifications or foreman experience, ensuring the right labor for the project.
Travelers and members looking to transfer must follow the SMART International Constitution rules. This generally involves contacting the Local 29 business manager, presenting a valid travel card, and ensuring all dues are current with their home local. Acceptance depends on local work volume and the specific needs of signatory contractors in the Wichita market.
SMART Local 29 is seated in Wichita, Kansas (KS). We hold published wage sheets for 6 locals across Kansas — compare nearby scales before you take a call.
We are a mechanical, plumbing and electrical construction recruiting firm serving Wichita and the rest of Kansas, including contractors signatory to SMART Local 29. Our office is in South Corona, California and we place union-scale tradespeople and field leadership nationwide.
Gulfstream Strategic Placements, 4160 Temescal Canyon Road, Suite 401, Corona, CA 92883. Phone (951) 208-7780. Email hello@gulfstreamsp.com. Monday–Friday, 7:00 AM–5:00 PM Pacific.View our verified Google Business Profile
Journeyman scales as last published by each local. Rates change every contract cycle — confirm with the hall.
The Local 29 pay scale is $35.41 per hour for journeymen in Wichita, KS, or about $70,820 a year at 2,080 hours. The total package, including employer-paid fringe benefits, is $35.41 per hour. That is the last wage sheet we can source for this local — confirm the current rate with the hall.
Journeyman sheet metal workers under the SMART Local 29 agreement make $35.41 an hour in base wages, or $35.41 an hour counting the fringe package, per the wage sheet effective 10/21/22. Overtime, shift premiums, and travel or subsistence pay are added on top under the local's CBA.
$35.41 per hour base wage and $35.41 per hour total package for a journeyman in Wichita, KS, effective 10/21/22. Annualized at 2,080 hours that is roughly $70,820 before overtime.
A Local 29 apprentice in Wichita, KS starts at roughly $15.93 an hour — about 45% of the $35.41 journeyman scale — and steps up each period, reaching around $26.56 an hour by the fourth year and full scale on turning out. These are the standard percentage steps of scale, not a wage sheet Local 29 has published; confirm the exact schedule with the JATC.
About $15.93 an hour, or roughly $31,869 a year at 2,080 hours, based on the standard 45% first-period step of the $35.41 journeyman rate effective 10/21/22. Apprentices also earn benefit contributions and paid classroom progression; the JATC sets the exact percentage.
Around $23.02 an hour at the standard 65% third-period step, moving to about $26.56 an hour in the fourth period and $35.41 an hour at full journeyman scale. Confirm the published step schedule with the Local 29 training center.
The current SMART Local 29 journeyman rate is $35.41/hour, with a total package of $35.41/hour including fringe benefits, effective 10/21/22. At 2,080 hours that works out to roughly $70,820 per year in base wages before overtime. Rates change with each CBA cycle — confirm with the Local 29 business office before relying on the figure.
The $35.41/hour figure is the base journeyman wage that lands on the paycheck. The $35.41/hour total package adds employer-paid fringes — health and welfare, pension, annuity, apprenticeship training, and industry funds. Contractors bid work off the total package, so that is the number that matters when comparing sheet metal workers labor costs across locals.
Apprentices under the SMART Local 29 agreement are paid a graduated percentage of the journeyman rate, typically starting near 40–50% in the first period and stepping up each six-month or annual period until reaching 100% at turnout. Against the current $35.41/hour journeyman rate, a first-period apprentice would be in the $15.93–$17.71/hour range. The exact percentage schedule is set by the local's JATC.
SMART Local 29 is headquartered in Wichita, KS and dispatches sheet metal workers manpower throughout its chartered jurisdiction. Work performed inside that territory falls under the local's collective bargaining agreement and wage schedule, even when the contractor is based elsewhere and travels in.
Most locals require applicants to be at least 18, legally able to work in the U.S., hold a high school diploma or GED, pass a basic math/aptitude assessment and a drug screen, and be physically able to perform sheet metal workers work. Some Local 29 programs give preference to applicants inside the jurisdiction or to veterans. Eligibility rules are set by the local's Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC), so confirm the current criteria with the hall before applying.
Apprenticeship applications go through the SMART Local 29 JATC, not through a contractor or a recruiter. Applications typically open in defined intake windows each year: you submit the application with proof of age, education, and residency, sit for an aptitude test, and then interview. Ranked applicants are placed on an eligibility list and indentured as signatory contractors call for apprentices. Gulfstream Strategic Placements does not process apprenticeship applications — contact the Local 29 training center directly.
Sheet Metal Workers apprenticeships generally run four to five years — roughly 8,000–10,000 hours of on-the-job training plus several hundred classroom hours per year. Apprentices earn a paycheck the entire time, stepping up through the wage periods until they turn out as journeymen at 100% of scale.
Signatory contractors hire through the local's hiring hall, so working under the SMART Local 29 agreement generally means being a member or being organized in through the local's process. Journeymen from other locals can travel in by signing the out-of-work book, subject to the local's referral rules and manpower needs. Non-union sheet metal workers professionals are usually placed with open-shop contractors instead — we recruit for both.
Rates move with the collective bargaining agreement, typically on a fixed anniversary date each year of a three- to five-year contract, with negotiated increases split between the base wage and the fringe package. The figures on this page reflect the 10/21/22 schedule; check with the Local 29 business office for any increase that has taken effect since.
Wage rates vary widely by local and market. Use the Union Pay Scale Explorer to sort every UA and SMART local by hourly wage, total package, and annualized pay so you can benchmark Local 29 against neighboring jurisdictions and other sheet metal workers markets.
The SMART Local 29 hall is at 1723 Southwest Boulevard Wichita KS 67213, serving Wichita, KS and the surrounding jurisdiction. Hall phone: (316) 941-4311.
SMART Local 29 runs its own referral procedure and books are signed at the hall. Call the hall at (316) 941-4311 to confirm dispatch hours, required documents (union card, certifications, ID) and current list standing before traveling in — Gulfstream does not control hall dispatch.
SMART Local 29 can be reached at (316) 941-4311. Contact details are imported from the union's public directory listing — confirm hours with the hall.